Don't start working on the game prior to the game jam, as it isn't fair to other participants starting from scratch. However, you may use publicly-available assets if you have permission and mention this when submitting (there'll be a textbox).You can use any engine, including one you made yourself.

• If I have some code from other games that isn't game-specific (e.g. some keyboard handling and code to keep a constant framerate) does using that count as using an engine or starting early?• Do I need/have permission to use xkcd comics themselves? (My current idea has almost all of the art taken directly from xkcd.)

Don't start working on the game prior to the game jam, as it isn't fair to other participants starting from scratch. However, you may use publicly-available assets if you have permission and mention this when submitting (there'll be a textbox).You can use any engine, including one you made yourself.

• If I have some code from other games that isn't game-specific (e.g. some keyboard handling and code to keep a constant framerate) does using that count as using an engine or starting early?• Do I need/have permission to use xkcd comics themselves? (My current idea has almost all of the art taken directly from xkcd.)

(Edit: Hope it is allowed, since I've already started.)

Yeah it's fine to use any previous non-game-specific code!

RE: using xkcd comics, according to xkcd.com's about page it seems like that'd be fine, as long as it's non-commercial.

XavierKCD wrote:RE: using xkcd comics, according to xkcd.com's about page it seems like that'd be fine, as long as it's non-commercial.

Wait, I think I may have misinterpreted something. When it says "if you have permission" did you mean from the person who made the asset? (That would probably make more sense than how I interpreted it. I thought it meant that we had to get your permission in order to use any assets...)

XavierKCD wrote:RE: using xkcd comics, according to xkcd.com's about page it seems like that'd be fine, as long as it's non-commercial.

Wait, I think I may have misinterpreted something. When it says "if you have permission" did you mean from the person who made the asset? (That would probably make more sense than how I interpreted it. I thought it meant that we had to get your permission in order to use any assets...)